After all these years of being a photographer I know things definitely do not always go as planned. My portfolio would lead you to believe that every session ends in a sunset, every child smiles perfectly, every click of my camera is pure magic….

So what happens when the clouds don’t part? What do I do when, instead, those clouds literally open up and dump endless amounts of rain on my photo plans? Because let’s keep it real, THAT HAPPENS!

The month of March was not good to me this year. What was normally a month of sunny skies and wildflowers turned into a literal mud pit. Every weekend was rainy or so muddy from the week before, outdoor sessions were impossible.

Let me tell you something about myself….. I need sunshine. Sun-flare shots are my jam. Additionally, I have seasonal depression and too many days without my friend, the sun, I get in a serious funk.

Wildflower Minis were scheduled, and rescheduled, and rescheduled again. Easter minis were time-sensitive and they could not be rescheduled. Booking a gaggle of animals for your Easter Minis means that your date is happening rain or shine so as the week crept on and I realized that the rain was not going to pass in time for photos of kids and bunnies outdoors, I had to hatch a new plan.

My studio is always an option but I just hadn’t thought about what I would do if I had to take these photos indoors. So in the days before when my fate became apparent I started figuring out how I was going to make my studio a beautiful wonderland for my clients. My clients trust me to produce beautiful images for their children regardless of the weather, and sometimes that pressure is exactly what I need to step up.

And so, the day before Easter Minis this year found me out in the rain trimming mustard blossoms from a local field, and cutting eucalyptus branches hanging over the fence into my yard, and filling buckets and baskets full of any foliage I thought might work. Then I spent hours that night at the studio laboring over ideas for how to make the sessions special, and different, and magical for those cute littles who would be coming in the morning(both kids and creatures).

That’s what we photographers do.

 

In the final hour I had a flash of brilliance and realized my window ledge in the studio was big enough to sit a child on. I had never done it before but I could see the images in my mind- light pouring through the window and greenery climbing the wall, almost like a princess in her castle. These are how my big ideas usually happen. Misery and stress before the big idea hits me and it seems so obvious like I should have seen it all along.

 

The day went wonderfully. Bunnies and chicks were held and adored by all and the window seat turned out to be my favorite shots.

It’s not always easy. Rolling with the punches is hard when your vision for a photo shoot is barricaded by circumstance. But, if you are up for the challenge, and you let yourself think outside the box, when things fall apart you can find to create beautiful images for your client no matter the situation.

XOXO,